Examples of Exile in Literature

Academic and cultural critic John Durham Peters defines exile as the tormenting and punitive banishment—voluntary or involuntary, voluntary or involuntary—from one’s homeland which produces redeeming longings and fantasies (Naficy 19). It results in one’s often painful physical alienation from his or her culture (home), but it ultimately enriches his or her life because it grants the individual time to reflect on one’s self, life choices and actions and thus paves the way for self-discovery (20). In The Epic of Gilgamesh and William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, the protagonists’ individual characteristics and actions induce both physical and emotional exile. This alienation fosters sadness in both characters and propels both of them to act in a way that contradicts their noble ambition and heroic character. However, exile also enriches both characters by forcing them to discover what they truly value and reflect on their imperfect actions. As a result of their decisions and actions, Gilgamesh and Prospero experience exile through the physical alienation from their homeland, which causes them to experience unbearable emotional and physical pain. Despite various tribulations that these characters experience, exile ultimately enriches their lives by forcing them to reflect on their life choices and inner character and reevaluate where true power lies.

Both characters experience exile as a result of their own actions or inaction as rulers of their respective homelands. Exiled by his brother who usurps his power because of his preoccupation with his books on sorcery rather than ruling his kingdom, Prospero becomes consumed by a desire for revenge on his brother as well as the desire to regain the power he once possessed. He does so by proclaiming himself king of an island and enslaving various characters in order to manipulate certain characters and situations in his favor. Miranda conveys the adverse effects of exile on her father when she tells Ferdinand that “my father’s of a better nature…than he appears by speech: this is unwonted/Which now came from him” (Act 1, scene 2). Furthermore, she comments, “Never till this day/Saw I him touch’d with anger so distemper’d” (Act 4 scene 1). Prospero imprisons Ariel, his conduit for performing magic, as well as Caliban in order to regain a sense of power over others he once felt. Prospero promises Ariel freedom yet refuses to grant it to him because of his preoccupation with magic and the power it bestows upon him over others. Caliban, Prospero’s slave after he imparts his knowledge of his native island to Prospero, asserts, “I must obey [Prospero]: his art [of magic] is of such power” (Shakespeare, Act 1 scene 2). The garments Prospero dons when performing his magical charms bestow upon him the power of magic, which allows him to control the characters and events that occur around him. Physical exile thus propels Prospero to act in an ungallant manner and blinds him from what truly matters in his life.

Upon his companion Enkidu’s death due to his selfish actions, Gilgamesh exiles himself in search of immortality and embarks on an emotional journey of self-discovery which connects readers to the human condition. Prior to his companionship with Enkidu, Gilgamesh as king of Uruk displayed arrogance and a lack of compassion for other human beings: “Gilgamesh…who is very strong and like a wild bull lords it over his people” (Sandars 5). Gilgamesh’s “lust leaves no virgin to her lover,” and rather than protect his subjects as king of Uruk he harasses them like a wild ox (4). The first half of the epic glorifies Gilgamesh’s physicality and completion of heroic tasks, but the death of Enkidu as a result of the friends’ blind arrogance makes Gilgamesh realize that no matter how herculean he feels, death awaits him. Shattered by Enkidu’s death, he rips off his filthy royal garments and embarks on the search for immortality “for Enkidu; I loved him dearly, together we endured all kinds of hardships…since he went my life is nothing” (16). Emotional and physical alienation drive Gilgamesh to blindly pursue the attainment of immortality rather than live his life in the present.

While the nature of exile differs for Gilgamesh and Prospero, their respective physical and emotional alienation causes them to reevaluate themselves as people whose power and desire for infamy that once blinded them. Prospero’s exile ultimately causes him to realize that the greatest human power resides in the power of forgiveness because life is too short for mortals. When contriving his next plot in his desire for revenge, Prospero comes to the realization that life is ephemeral and tells Ferdinand: “We are such stuff/As dreams are made on, and our little life/Is rounded with a sleep” (Shakespeare Act 4 Scene 1). Upon meeting his brother again, he says, “I do forgive/Thy rankest fault” (Act V Scene 1). Exile thus enriches Prospero’s life because he realizes that regardless of how much power he has through sorcery and controlling others, he would one day die and suffer the same fate as all mortal men. He realizes that he must enjoy life in the present and cherish the moments he has with his daughter rather than manipulate others.

Similarly, Gilgamesh’s arduous journey in search of immortality forces him to reevaluate his actions as well as what he values. Although once brazen and lacking in compassion, Gilgamesh abandons the world he once possessed so much power in because he realizes that the power of love, compassion and friendship supersede physical and political power he once possessed. Gilgamesh embarks on a long journey characterized by great physical and emotional suffering. When he encounters various figures such as Siduri, Urshanabi and Utnapishtim, they do not even recognize him as the once-great king of Uruk and rather ask him why his “cheeks [are] so starved and [his] face drawn” (Sandars 17). Gilgamesh refuses to rest because of Enkidu’s death. Despite this physical suffering, his alienation ultimately enriches his life because he eventually realizes that companionship and the love of a family and progeny eases the pain one feels in death. His alienation thus leads him to realize and accept his own mortality and truly value companionship and filial piety.

The theme of exile in The Tempest and The Epic of Gilgamesh has both alienated and enriched characters across various time periods and cultures. Whether voluntary or involuntary, physical and emotional exile results from character flaws that cause overwhelming inner struggles. Such behavioral flaws and preoccupations induce conflict in the characters’ journey to self-discovery, but exile ultimately enriches their lives by forcing each character to reflect on his actions and life choices. Both Prospero and Gilgamesh realize their own mortality and thus abandon their mundane preoccupation with power over others. Prospero desired to get revenge on all of those involved with the usurpation of his power and went to great lengths to regain the power he felt he had lost. However, he comes to realize that the greatest power of all resides in the power of forgiveness. Once a heroic, confident conqueror, Gilgamesh’s physical and emotional exile leads him to shed all remnants of civilization and go to great lengths to attain immortality. By the end of his arduous journey, Gilgamesh becomes a great, heroic leader whose exile served to enrich his character and help him accept death as a beautiful part of humanity.

Works Cited

Sandars, N.K. The Epic of Gilgamesh: An English Version with an Introd. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin, 1972. Print.

Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. Ed. Leon Garfield and Elena Livanova. New York: Knopf, 1993. Print.

Naficy, Hamid. Home, Exile, Homeland: Film, Media, and the Politics of Place. New York: Routledge, 1999. Print.